Means for repeatedly cutting off a predetermined length of glass from a moving ribbon of glass



NOV. 15, 1949 A, H, LE M 2,487,932

MEANS FOR REPEATEDLY CUTTING OFF A PREDETERMINED LENGTH OF GLASS FROM AMOVING RIBBON OF GLASS Filed Sept. 24, 1946 Min /am 4 W Af/orneyS v/nvenfor Patented Nov. 15, 1949 MEANS FOR REPEATEDLY CUTTING OFF APREDETERMINED LENGTH OF GLASS FROM A MOVING RIBBON OF GLASS Alfred HenryLe Mare, St. Helens, England, assignor to Pilkington Brothers Limited,Liver- .pcol, England, a British company Application September 24, 1946,Serial No. 698,905 In Great Britain July 2, '1945 Section'l, Public Law690, August 8, 1946 Patent expires July 2, 1965 3 Claims. 1

This invention relates :to means for repeatedly cutting ofi apredetermined length of glass from :a moving ribbon of glass.

A main object of the present invention is to devise improved means r-forcutting lengths from a ,TibbOl'l of glass, of such little mass that itcan attain such rapid acceleration that in achieving the velocity of themoving ribbon it does not ofifer forces which might lead to chippingorshelling of the leading edge or fracture of the ribbon particularly asmay occur with a thin ribbon (e. g. thick) travelling at a high speed,e. g. 250" a minute.

Apparatus for cutting across a moving ribbon of glass as it comes fromthe lehr in accordance with the present invention comprises a straightedge, a pulley and cable system including a balance weight tending toreturn the straight .edge over the glass to datum position aftertravelling with the glass during a cutting 'opera- 131011.,311 endlessWire cable system and pulleys, including a pair of runs (one run moving,during the cutting operation in the general direction of the movingglass and the other one simultaneously .moving in the opposite directionthereto) to each side of the path of travel of the glass, a slideconnected to each run of the pair which moves in the same direction asthe glass and a fixed guide .for each slide, means for mounting therespective ends of the straight edge on each slide, the two pairs ofruns being interconnected and the slides being disposed to determine thelie of the straight edge across the ribbon of glass, a light frameslidable on fixed guides arranged above the path of the ribbon and tierods connecting said .frame to the endless cable system or to the slideswhereby the light frame moves with the slides, and rockable measuringfingers adjustably mounted on the frame and disposed to be engaged bythe leading edge of the glass at a predetermined spaced relationshipwith straight edge, locking means adapted to secure said measuringfingers in each position of adjustment along the frame, and trip gearadapted to disengage the measuring fingers after a predetermineddistance of travel of the measuring fingers with the leading edge of theglass.

Each run of the endless system to which the straight edge is attachedmay be provided with a stretching screw to incorporate in the' run a 2micrometer adjustment to achieve squareness of the straight edge to thepath of the ribbon, whereby regulation of the tension on the wire cablesmay be effected.

The wire ropes in the endless system constitute stifi tension springswhich with the friction of the pulleys in the system damp out anyvibration on the apparatus when the measuring fingers are picked up bythe leading edge of the glass, and an operator can readily score theribbon in the time available to him, less than ten seconds, and in theusual manner, when the ribbon is travelling at 250" per minute.

In order that the invention may be more clearly understood, onepreferred embodiment thereof will now be described with reference to theaccompanying drawing in which:

Figure 1 shows a diagrammatic view of the machine, the embodiment beinga form of apparatus Which is suitable for cutting across a ribbon movingat 250" per minute.

Figure Zshows a detail of the slide and Figure 3 shows a detail of thetrip gear for the measuring fingers.

Figures 1, 2 and 3 show the parts in the relative positions they attainjust after the commencement of the cutting operation.

To each side of and at the leading portion of the ribbon l as itadvances on rolls from the lehr in known manner, and in a plane justabove the 7 plane of the ribbon are mounted on a support 2a singlepulleys 2 and spaced therefrornlengthwise of the ribbon on a support 311is a pair of pulleys 3, 4 arranged so that to each side of the ribbon anendless wire cable 5 may be looped round each single pulley 2 and extenddoubled on itself to form two parallel runs alongside the ribbon, theinner run passing over the inner pulleys ii of each pair and the outerrun passing over the outer pulley 3 of each pair. The endless pulley andcable system viewed in plan resembles the letter U disposed with theopen end towards the lehr, the two pairs of runs at each side of theglass ribbon 1 being interconnected.

In the outer run on one side of the ribbon and in the inner run on theother side, are fixed, near to the single pulleys 2 and equidistanttherefrom, slides 6 on each of which is mounted one end of astraightedge 3 by means such as a screw la so that if the slides 6 are pullsdiinthe direction of movement of the ribbon, i. e. in the direction of thearrow la (Figure 1) the straight edge 1 continuously moves with theglass whilst retaining its square relation therewith. n the other sideof each slide to the respective single pulleys is arranged an adjustingmeans 8 which permits micrometer adjustment of the ends of the straightedge and adjustment of the tension in the whole system. The adjustingmeans 8 may comprise a wire strainer of the kind having a co-axial pairof threaded members 8a, 8b with right and left hand threadsrespectively, connected by means of a sleeve 8c suitably internallythreaded in known manner. Thrust guides 9 mounted on each side of theribbon' co-operate with the slides 6 to prevent deviation of the cablefrom its intended path.

Erected on cross bearers ll), Illa over the path of the ribbon are twohorizontal rails ll, Ha, running parallel with the ribbon and on theserails run a pair of wheels [2, l3 connected by an axle 12a which axle issecured to two tie rods M, the other ends of which are secured to theslides at Ma.

These tie rods which run upwardly from the slides to the axle IZarigidly connect the axle to the slides and carry towards their lowerends a cross member I6 so that in plan View the construction of theaxle, ties and cross member resemble the letter A. This light frame soconstructed carries horizontally disposed parallel bars l1, [8 runningat right angles from the axle in a horizontal direction towards thecross member l6 and are cranked downwardly at the other ends to connectwith the cross member.

These bars I1, 18 support measuring fingers l9 which depend into thepath of the glass to be engaged by the leading edge of the ribbon andare adjustably locked by the levers I9a and cams I91) to the bars I1, [8in predetermined spaced relation from the straight edge.

From the foregoing it will be observed that the leading edge on engagingthe fingers, through the agency of a, latch locking means hereafterdescribed which render the fingers integral with bars on the frame,pushes the frame and thus the slides, which impart movement in the wholecable system causing the straight edge to move with the glass whilstretaining its square relation therewith. During this movement of thestraight edge, the glass may be scored in known manner by an automaticor by a manually operated glass cutter of suitable known form, and whenthis has been done the leading portion of the glass is deflected inknown manner to separate the cu leading portion from the ribbon ofglass. The separated leading portion is thereafter received in knownmanner on rolls which feed the separated portion forwardly at a rategreater than that at which the glass ribbon is moving so that a space isformed between the rear edge of the separated portion and the leadingedge of the glass ribbon.

The return movement of the whole of the apparatus to datum position isproduced by balance weights 2!! connected by cables 20a to the runs inwhich the slides 6 are incorporated and which are raised as theapparatus is advanced, the weights taking control as soon as themeasuring fingers are disengaged from the leading edge of the separatedportion to bring the apparatus up 7 to a stop 26b mounted on crossbearer Illa.

The measuring device comprises the latch looking means which is rockableand includes a vertical arm 2| pivoted at 250. to a bracket 25, the

arm 2| including at the bottom the fingers [9 which engage the glassedge and at the top a shoulder 22 which, in the vertical position of thearm abuts against a shoulder 23 on a latch arm 24 pivoted at 24c on thebracket 25. The bracket 25 rises from a base plate 26 carrying a pair ofclamping plates 26a by which the bracket is adjusted on and clamped tothe parallel bars l1, l8 comprised in the light frame. On the base plate26 are mounted the cam means I91) which are rotated by the levers l9afor clamping the plates 26 and 26a onto the bars. To the free end of thelatch arm 24 is attached one end of a cable 21 which is looped over apulley 28 and the other end of the cable is anchored at 21a to the crossbearer Illa. As the fingers I9 are engaged by the glass edge, the top ofthe vertical 'arm 2| is forced against the shoulder 23 on the latch arm24 making a rigid structure through which a force is transmitted fromthe glass to the light frame and cable system causing the requireddisplacement of the straight edge. The cable 21 on the latch bar 24 islong enough to be slack until the light frame is nearly at the end ofits travel, and as itapproaches the end of the travel the cable becomestaut and then rocks the latch arm 24 free of the vertical arm 2|carrying the measuring fingers, so that the latter (the vertical arm 2|)is tilted by the continued movement of the glass until the fingers l9ride up on to the glass and, when due to the forward movement of thesevered glass and the return movement of the light frame under effortfrom weight 20 the fingers are enabled to ride oil the severed glass,and assume vertical position, the cable 21 connected with the latch arm2 having slackened, the latch automatically falls back under gravityinto abutting engagement with the vertical arm 21 so that the fingersare rigidly connected to the plate 26 when again engaged by theadvancing edge of the ribbon of glass.

Immediately re-engagement occurs the straight edge is disposed inposition for cutting and owing to the absence of vibration an automaticcutter can be immediately operated, or a person cutting can at once usehis cutter on the glass, whilst the cut is made with the straight edgemoving as steadily as the glass throughout the operation.

By using the light construction of the nature described in which thewire cables are employed to cause the movement of the straight edgevibration of the latter is avoided.

By the present invention the mass of the cutting apparatus which isengaged and moved by the glass is reduced to a minimum and the totalmass is small enough for the force needed to accelerate it to the highspeed of the glass to be smaller than that required to engender bucklingand ultimately break the ribbon of the glass between the straight edgeand the lehr. AccOrdingly apparatus according to the invention iseminently suitable for severing lengths of glass from a ribbon having athickness of K3" and travelling at a speed of 250" per minute or more.

I claim:

1. Apparatus for cutting across a moving ribbon of glass as it comesfrom a lehr, comprising a pulley and cable system, including pulleysdisposed to each side of the path of travel of the glass and providing apair of double runs of cable one at each side of said path, the runs ofeach double run of cable being interconnected and movablesimultaneously'in opposite directi'ons, a slide connected to a similarlymovable run of each pair, a straight edge mounted at opposite ends onsaid slides to be movable therewith and lie across said ribbon of glass,balance weights incorporated in said cable system and tending to returnthe straight edge to datum position, fixed guides disposed above thepath of said ribbon and extending lengthwise thereof, a light frameslidable on said fixed guides and extending lengthwise thereof, tie rodsconnecting said light frame with the pulley and cable system, rockablemeasuring fingers mounted on said light frame to be adjustablelengthwise thereof and to be engaged by the leading edge of said ribbonat a predetermined spaced relationship with the straight edge, lockingmeans to secure the measuring fingers in adjusted position, a latch toretain the measuring fingers in position to be engaged by the leadingedge of the ribbon, and a latch releasing element operative to unlatchsaid fingers when the fingers have completed a predetermined distance oftravel in engagement with the leading edge of the glass.

2. Apparatus according to claim 1, wherein each double run hasincorporated therein a stretching screw to regulate tension in thecables and by micrometer adjustment to achieve squareness of thestraight edge with the path of the ribbon.

3. Apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the tie rods connect the lightframe to the slides.

ALFRED HENRY LE MARE.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS

